THIBODAUX, La. – For the second consecutive year, Nicholls State University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) partnered with U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots, as well as Rouses Markets, to spread some holiday cheer as part of the Southland Conference's "Southland Gives Back" initiative.
 
On Dec. 5, several members of the Colonel softball and baseball teams traveled to Houma to lend a hand at the Toys For Tots event held at the parking lot of Walmart.
There, the Colonels helped sort and distribute donated gifts, and members of the softball team even provided face painting for the children in attendance.
 
In Thibodaux, the Colonel basketball teams held a special promotion for their doubleheader that Saturday which allowed fans to purchase a $5 ticket in exchange for a donated toy. Rouses even provided assistance as the local grocery store served as a drop-off location for Toys for Tots donations.
 
Toys for Tots was started in 1947 by Major Bill Hendricks, USMRC in Los Angeles, where helped collect 5,000 toys. Over its life span, the Marine Toys for Tots Program has distributed over 494 million toys to over 230 million less fortunate children.